Swiss Space Centre designs space junk-clearing satellite

The Swiss Space Centre has launched a mission to clean up space
by designing a satellite that it will send into orbit to collect
debris.

A prototype satellite, called CleanSpace One and costing 10 million francs, (£6.9 million),
is being developed at the Swiss Federal Institute for Technology in
Lausanne (EPFL).

In a release announcing the project, EPFL says: "16,000 objects
larger than 10cm in diameter and hundreds of millions of smaller
particles are ripping around the Earth at speeds of several
kilometers per second" and it's time to "move beyond mere rhetoric
and take immediate action to get this stuff out of orbit".

In a video detailing its plans, EPFL pointed to the collision of the American Iridium satellite with debris
from an inactive Russian satellite in 2009, which resulted in 2,000
more pieces of debris and the destruction of $55 million (£35
million) satellite. "It has become essential to be aware of the
existence of this debris and the risks that are run by its
proliferation," said Claude
Nicollier, an astronaut and EPFL professor.

This is not least because of the cost of such collisions but
also because of the danger posed to astronauts. In early January,
as Wired.co.uk reported, the crew aboard the International
Space Station was ordered to make a rare manoeuvre to dodge a piece
of satellite debris.

The first satellite set for sweep up is Switzerland's first
orbiting object, the SwissCube
picosatellite, which was put in orbit in 2009 although the team
are also considering chasing another Swiss craft, TIsat, which was
launched in July 2010.

The engineers are currently tackling three issues: how to get
the CleanSpace One to adjust its trajectory in order to match its
target's orbital plane, which will be traveling at 28,000 kmh at an
altitude of 630-750 km; how to stabilise itself once it has grabbed
its target; and finally, how to "de-orbit" the unwanted satellite
by heading back into the Earth's atmosphere, where the two
satellites will burn upon re-entry.

Despite these issues, Swiss
Space Centre Director Volker Gass is confident of success
and it is hoped that CleanSpace One could start cleaning in three
to five years. He says: "We want to offer and sell a whole family
of ready-made systems, designed as sustainably as possible, that
are able to de-orbit several different kinds of satellites. Space
agencies are increasingly finding it necessary to take into
consideration and prepare for the elimination of the stuff they're
sending into space. We want to be the pioneers in this area."

Edited by Nate Lanxon

Comments

Water damage can occur at any time of day and take over your home or business in a matter of minutes. Often is occurring within a building for weeks before it is even noticed. Pipes can break and either let out large amounts of water or small droplets that you do not notice until the ceiling reveals a water mark. Water damage can even be caused by rain finding its way in to the building. Regardless of the cause it is a